Heard NOTHING from Stanford???

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Got my thin envelope today.........(closing Stanford File and putting in the Rejection pile)....I guess I am going to meet similar fate at other top-teired schools I have been waiting on due to lack of research experience.......


was kinda hoping to meet my family at the west coast but will have to wait until after the semester now.....

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DrDarwin said:
Oh, the carnage! I feel like I am part of an advancing rank and everyone around me is being felled. Staggering, I realize that I am somehow still alive, but for how much longer I know not...

I bet that Stanford is being incredibly choosy in its interview selections because it wants to be sure that nearly everyone selected would really want to attend, particularly since the number of interviews have been shaved by 30%. How do they decide who would almost certainly attend? Probably by considering the following two questions (among others):

(1) Would this applicant be really gung ho about studying for FIVE years?
(2) Would this applicant benefit substantially by the new scholarly
concentration requirement?

Because each of these questions pertain to unique features of Stanford's curriculum, applicants who elicit affirmative responses by the admissions committee would probably be invited for an interview, even with mediocre statistics. Many super-stats people would fall by the wayside, however, because they may not benefit as much from Stanford's curriculum and Stanford would have to compete with other top schools for them, which would be a losing battle unless these applicants really wanted to attend medical school for an additional year.

Actually, I have no idea what Stanford is thinking, but I would not be surprised if the above two questions are really important in determining an applicant's fate.

I was really gung ho about studying there for 5 years in my essay and even said that it was my first choice. I really went out of my way to kiss their a$$ about the scholarly concentration and how it would help me fulfill my career objectives. Apparently, that didn't really work.

You know what would be funny? If out of the 400 people they plan on interviewing, they don't end up filling their class of 86. It happened at McGill last year. The Quebec government told McGill they would finance an extra 10 spots in their entering class in June. So McGill had to send acceptance letters to people they had rejected :laugh:
 
oh no! i just realized that i sent my update materials to the school of medicine main address. i addressed the letter to "gabriel garcia, associate dean of admissions", so maybe it will get to him. i didn't see that there was a more specific address for the admissions office. should i resend? i am afraid that he didn't get the info that i sent.
 
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Another thing to recognize is that it's not exclusively bench research they are looking for, I don't think. Two of Stanford's scholarly concentrations are Health Services & Policy and Community Health & Public Service. I would think Stanford would be looking for a different breed of student to fill the 'slots' in these concentrations. Who knows. But it is interesting to see if there are any patterns.

To the people who have received rejection letters so far -- what scholarly concentration did you say you were interested in when responding to the secondary essays?

Also, has anyone in the Baltimore area received word yet this cycle?
 
i said that i would be interested in health services & policy, which is pretty much exactly where my professional interests lay. i think i would have been thrilled with the opportunities presented at stanford.

i wouldve thought that my suitability for that career was interesting enough to be interviewed, but oh well.
 
personally i said i was interested in basic sci research but didnt specify which conc. i would like to pursue, but i think this is a mistake. Its important to be specific and resolute. I think im going to write in and let them know. I didnt get the dreaded letter today but it seems like nobody is safe considering the caliber of some sdn'ers that have gotten the thin envelope
 
Do you guys think Stanford is still on the first cut, or was this second wave of rejections a 'second round' cut? There were some people with very impressive stats/experience cut this week. Or maybe Stanford is looking at people geographically? I suppose we'll never know.

It would be nice to have the inside scoop from a current student...Anyone?
 
starfruit said:
Another thing to recognize is that it's not exclusively bench research they are looking for, I don't think. Two of Stanford's scholarly concentrations are Health Services & Policy and Community Health & Public Service. I would think Stanford would be looking for a different breed of student to fill the 'slots' in these concentrations. Who knows. But it is interesting to see if there are any patterns.

To the people who have received rejection letters so far -- what scholarly concentration did you say you were interested in when responding to the secondary essays?

Also, has anyone in the Baltimore area received word yet this cycle?

I said my interest was in the Health Services and Policy too. Not good enough!
 
I said my interest was in the community service one. I would have had absolutely zero intention of staying there for five years though.

oh and last year, 200 something out of their 500 something interviewees were from california. in contrast, out of harvard's 700 something interviewees, only 50 something were from massachusetts. on mdapplicants, there are definitely folks from the east coast getting interviewed but many more are from california, washington, montana, texas, etc. so if you live in that direction, i'd say you have an advantage.
 
CarleneM said:
I said my interest was in the community service one. I would have had absolutely zero intention of staying there for five years though.

oh and last year, 200 something out of their 500 something interviewees were from california. in contrast, out of harvard's 700 something interviewees, only 50 something were from massachusetts. on mdapplicants, there are definitely folks from the east coast getting interviewed but many more are from california, washington, montana, texas, etc. so if you live in that direction, i'd say you have an advantage.

that's certainly not true... think about it for a second. it just reflects the huge number of applications they get from people in california and nearby states and also the fact that california is the most competitive state for getting admission to medical school. generally, most people on the east coast want to stay on the east coast and people on the west coast want to stay on the west coast even more overwhelmingly (and who can blame them?). there's no more of an advantage to live in california for stanford admissions than there is to live in mass. for harvard admissions.
 
starfruit said:
Another thing to recognize is that it's not exclusively bench research they are looking for, I don't think. Two of Stanford's scholarly concentrations are Health Services & Policy and Community Health & Public Service. I would think Stanford would be looking for a different breed of student to fill the 'slots' in these concentrations. Who knows. But it is interesting to see if there are any patterns.

honesty tho, what makes a school's name is basic research; read garcia's message and it's hard to think they would want many health services/policy people; there are alot of exciting things going on at stanf in medical research, more so than in other places. Just my take
 
constructor said:
that's certainly not true... think about it for a second. it just reflects the huge number of applications they get from people in california and nearby states and also the fact that california is the most competitive state for getting admission to medical school. generally, most people on the east coast want to stay on the east coast and people on the west coast want to stay on the west coast even more overwhelmingly (and who can blame them?). there's no more of an advantage to live in california for stanford admissions than there is to live in mass. for harvard admissions.


wow, constructor and I do agree on something :thumbup:
 
What do you think Stanford was looking for in answers to the question:

"Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals:
a) Full time private practice;
b) Fulltime employee of a gov't or non-gov'tl organization engaged in helath policy planning
c) Fulltime faculty member . . . engaged in research and teaching
d) Fulltime public health officer for county, state, or fed gov't
e) Fulltime hospital or insurance company administrator"

That was the hardest question to answer because I was somewhere in between a few of them. I ultimately chose 'b' though.
 
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starfruit said:
What do you think Stanford was looking for in answers to the question:

"Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals:
a) Full time private practice;
b) Fulltime employee of a gov't or non-gov'tl organization engaged in helath policy planning
c) Fulltime faculty member . . . engaged in research and teaching
d) Fulltime public health officer for county, state, or fed gov't
e) Fulltime hospital or insurance company administrator"

That was the hardest question to answer because I was somewhere in between a few of them. I ultimately chose 'b' though.

i posted on this but I would bet they want someone who will stay engaged in research/teaching or choice C. I mean if you are going to research so much in med school through the concentrations why would you not use those skills in the future. You're unlikely to if you have, say, a full time practice or are a hospital/insurance administrator. But you really do need to stay true to yourself b.c if you want one of those options then maybe stanf. is not the place you will be most fulfilled.

My guess would be they scrutinize those applicants that dont answer that question the way they want first. It's easy for them to sort through b.c they can program something like that based on your answer. We should start a poll on who answered that question which way and see who has interviewed, rejected, or still waiting to hear....At the same time, however, they do want people that will spread all over the medical field to matriculate from their school so the stanford name goes in many directions. So i think my thought above is wrong but I do feel they do some sort of grouping and maybe have a certain number of spots for each of those answer choices.
 
That's a good idea, but you can't really set up a poll well with all of those variables. Maybe just a list:

Haybrant: C, waiting to hear

Starfruit: B, waiting to hear

etc...
 
Veggiegal: C, waiting to hear
 
constructor said:
generally, most people on the east coast want to stay on the east coast and people on the west coast want to stay on the west coast even more overwhelmingly (and who can blame them?).

yeah and med schools know that and i bet take that into consideration when making many of their decisions, no? i'm sure they've learned from experience this coastal preference that certain applicants have and have to plan accordingly. although stanford probably does get way more apps from the west coast, there are plenty of people (like myself) who applied there because we applied to a ton of top schools all over but only really intend on going to the east coast if given the choice. anyways, whatever. good luck to those waiting to hear, wherever you are from! :luck:
 
UCLAStudent, A, waiting to hear

BTW, nothing in the mail today.
 
Do you have to stay an extra year? If you stay do you have to pay an extra year of tuition?! F that!

I put c and am still waiting for the boot (and my stats are eh).

There is also the optional "diversity" essay which could be important. I wonder if most people answered it. I found it to be annoying enough that I wouldn't have answered it if I didn't really like the school.
 
starfruit said:
Do you guys think Stanford is still on the first cut, or was this second wave of rejections a 'second round' cut? There were some people with very impressive stats/experience cut this week. Or maybe Stanford is looking at people geographically? I suppose we'll never know.

It would be nice to have the inside scoop from a current student...Anyone?

I'm a MD resident and I haven't heard a thing...


ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH...the wait is driving me crazy...come on Stanford, just send me the rejection letter and get it over with already!!!!
 
Electrophys said:
I'm a MD resident and I haven't heard a thing...


ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH...the wait is driving me crazy...come on Stanford, just send me the rejection letter and get it over with already!!!!

I am a bit confused. Are you applying for residency positions? Are you from Maryland? And were you specifically answering the post you quoted? I'm sorry if this sounds rude. That's not my intent.
 
starfruit said:
What do you think Stanford was looking for in answers to the question:

"Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals:
a) Full time private practice;
b) Fulltime employee of a gov't or non-gov'tl organization engaged in helath policy planning
c) Fulltime faculty member . . . engaged in research and teaching
d) Fulltime public health officer for county, state, or fed gov't
e) Fulltime hospital or insurance company administrator"

That was the hardest question to answer because I was somewhere in between a few of them. I ultimately chose 'b' though.


Wasn't a more general than just (Full time practice)? It said something about (might or might not do teaching and research), right??

Do you guys really think that Stanford wants to have EVERYONE in the class be a researcher??? I mean, come on. They have to have some diversity in the class for it be successful (have different approaches to things), don't you think?
 
MedDreamer said:
Wasn't a more general than just (Full time practice)? It said something about (might or might not do teaching and research), right??

Do you guys really think that Stanford wants to have EVERYONE in the class be a researcher??? I mean, come on. They have to have some diversity in the class for it be successful (have different approaches to things), don't you think?

Here are the actual Stanford questions:

1. Fulltime private practice, with the option to engage in teaching and collaborations in clinical research projects with an academic institution and other public service activities

2. Fulltime employee of a government or non-governmental organization engaged in Health Policy planning such as the World Health Organization, Office of the Surgeon General or the Food and Drug Administration

3. Fulltime faculty member of a Medical School or Research Institute engaged in research activities and teaching

4. Fulltime Public Health Officer for county, state or federal government

5. Fulltime Hospital or Insurance Company administrator (Chief Medical Officer of Blue Cross of California)
-----
For the record, I haven't heard boo from Stanford, and I completed Choice 1. (Although I think it's just a matter of time!)

I also think it's important to have diversity in a class - and I really don't think it matters which question you chose to answer. I just think Stanford's really random and some awesomely qualified people are not going to get interviews...them's the breaks with this process!
 
ajt2003 said:
Here are the actual Stanford questions:

1. Fulltime private practice, with the option to engage in teaching and collaborations in clinical research projects with an academic institution and other public service activities

2. Fulltime employee of a government or non-governmental organization engaged in Health Policy planning such as the World Health Organization, Office of the Surgeon General or the Food and Drug Administration

3. Fulltime faculty member of a Medical School or Research Institute engaged in research activities and teaching

4. Fulltime Public Health Officer for county, state or federal government

5. Fulltime Hospital or Insurance Company administrator (Chief Medical Officer of Blue Cross of California)
-----
For the record, I haven't heard boo from Stanford, and I completed Choice 1. (Although I think it's just a matter of time!)

I also think it's important to have diversity in a class - and I really don't think it matters which question you chose to answer. I just think Stanford's really random and some awesomely qualified people are not going to get interviews...them's the breaks with this process!
I picked the first choice ... however, in the essay, I stated that I want to do research while working in the hospital ... and I'm still waiting to hear from Stanford ...
 
GuyLaroche said:
I am a bit confused. Are you applying for residency positions? Are you from Maryland? And were you specifically answering the post you quoted? I'm sorry if this sounds rude. That's not my intent.


Haha...I think this is just a miscommunication...I'm a resident of the state of Maryland and NOT a medical resident :laugh:

Applying to med schools during this cycle and waiting to see where the dice fall...

Good luck!
 
I just recieved an Stanford interview the other day, and I chose the #2 health policy option. All this negative talk of thin envelopes, my Wisconsin acceptance had only 1 sheet of paper in it:)
 
Sturgeon said:
I just recieved an Stanford interview the other day, and I chose the #2 health policy option. All this negative talk of thin envelopes, my Wisconsin acceptance had only 1 sheet of paper in it:)
Nice.
when were you complete? do you have the exact date they sent you an invite? Also, do you mind posting your numbers.
thanks,
john
 
So, any word as to whether the recent carnage is over with respect to Stanford? Can anyone at Stanford or elsewhere verify whether the Adcom has made the initial cut, or at least how big the remaining applicant pool is? We've had two rounds of rejection letters (one b/f the holidays, one after), and I'm curious as to whether there will be more, or just interviews.
 
starfruit said:
So, any word as to whether the recent carnage is over with respect to Stanford? Can anyone at Stanford or elsewhere verify whether the Adcom has made the initial cut, or at least how big the remaining applicant pool is? We've had two rounds of rejection letters (one b/f the holidays, one after), and I'm curious as to whether there will be more, or just interviews.

I know this doesn't answer your question but I thought I'd throw in my two cents. Basically, I think it's still going to be a while. Starting this year, they're not screening initial applications, which translates into everyone receiving a secondary application who expressed an interest in Stanford on AMCAS.

Thus, they probably have many more secondaries to go through than in years past. Also, I read somewhere in this thread that they're only offering 400 interviews this year (as opposed to about 550 last year, according to US News), which probably means they're going to be extra-cautious this year as to whom they offer an interview to.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. I'm surprised I made it this far without getting axed.
 
I've been complete since September and have heard nothing! :(
 
I called and apparently they'll be sending out interview invites for another month and a half or so...more waiting I guess.
 
i was browsing the stanford site for something and ran across this: http://med.stanford.edu/senate/00-01/00-01_12-13_minutes.pdf

granted it was from 2000 but look at some of the stats:

# Students stating academic medicine as goal: 44/86 (seems to support what i said earlier that there may be a 'right' answer to this question on the secondary)

# Students w/ two summers or one year part-time research: 74/86
 
Haybrant said:
i was browsing the stanford site for something and ran across this: http://med.stanford.edu/senate/00-01/00-01_12-13_minutes.pdf

granted it was from 2000 but look at some of the stats:

# Students stating academic medicine as goal: 44/86 (seems to support what i said earlier that there may be a 'right' answer to this question on the secondary)

# Students w/ two summers or one year part-time research: 74/86

Wow. Well, at least I have the two summers of research going for me. But I definitely strayed from the "academic medicine" answer. :laugh:
 
I'm still waiting to hear from Stanford too and was complete beginning of September. At least we can all commiserate! Good luck to everyone.
 
Haybrant said:
# Students w/ two summers or one year part-time research: 74/86

Well, that's what did it for me then. I got the boot around the 4th of Jan. I've done little to no research but have had 7 years of intense clinical experience including running a non-profit tissue transplant bank.

For the record, I grew up in Palo Alto and my grandfather was a Stanford professor in the 80's. To top it off, I'm a member of a Stanford pre-med group that shadows local doc's, which was really tough to get into as a non-Stanford student! I thought that would at least count for something!! Maybe they decided that at the ripe old age of 27 I'm too _old_?? Or maybe I'll never be forgiven for having a crappy undergrad GPA, even though as a post-bacc for two years taking only science classes I have a 3.87! :confused:

Oh, I answered a. to the "pick your future" question and I wrote about how great their scholarly concentration in ethics/humanities would fit my intrest in transplant ethics and policy. Oh well, as a UCSD alumni I've always been a Cal fan anyway. Besides, I constantly get lost when driving around that damn campus!

For you East Coasters who are still waiting - the weather is unbelievable in Palo Alto. It's never too hot or cold, the sun shines on the penninsula far more than in San Fran, and the breeze from the bay keeps the air clean and clear all the time...
 
(Pardon my laziness if the following question has already been answered.) Has anyone who declared full-time private practice as the most likely career path been granted an interview?
 
DrDarwin said:
(Pardon my laziness if the following question has already been answered.) Has anyone who declared full-time private practice as the most likely career path been granted an interview?

I believe so. There is someone who posted mid-thread.
 
DrDarwin said:
(Pardon my laziness if the following question has already been answered.) Has anyone who declared full-time private practice as the most likely career path been granted an interview?

i did and i got an interview last week.
 
thanks! it's gonna be a long walk to the interview.. :p
 
A thought occurred to me while reading the article posted earlier that gives some insight into the admissions process, albeit for a past year. In the article, it states that the number of interviews offered is dependent on the number of faculty willing to conduct such interviews and the students willing to volunteer etc. Perhaps for those who have selected the research option and shown an aptitude for a particular research in their applications have not been offered interviews yet because they are trying to match them with appropriate faculty. At an interview at a med school in the same class as Stanford, I was interviewed by someone who knew quite a bit about my research. I doubt that it was coincidence. This argument is supported by statements made in that article. This is all a big supposition, of course.
 
GuyLaroche said:
A thought occurred to me while reading the article posted earlier that gives some insight into the admissions process, albeit for a past year. In the article, it states that the number of interviews offered is dependent on the number of faculty willing to conduct such interviews and the students willing to volunteer etc. Perhaps for those who have selected the research option and shown an aptitude for a particular research in their applications have not been offered interviews yet because they are trying to match them with appropriate faculty. At an interview at a med school in the same class as Stanford, I was interviewed by someone who knew quite a bit about my research. I doubt that it was coincidence. This argument is supported by statements made in that article. This is all a big supposition, of course.


I like the sound of this; Side question: is it kinda daunting to be interviewed by someone that knows your research really well? Like are they conversational or trying to find out if you are legit, or does it just depend.
 
Constructor! I had no idea that you got a Stanford interview! Congratulations!!! :D
 
UCLAstudent said:
Constructor! I had no idea that you got a Stanford interview! Congratulations!!! :D

thanks, uclastudent!
 
constructor said:
i did and i got an interview last week.

congrats constructor! How many wks after your notification is your interview scheduled? I reckon since they arent interviewing too many the turn around is quick
 
Haybrant said:
I like the sound of this; Side question: is it kinda daunting to be interviewed by someone that knows your research really well? Like are they conversational or trying to find out if you are legit, or does it just depend.

No. It was totally fine. The interviewer knew all the assumptions and shortfalls of the work done in our lab. So, he and I were able to discuss without me having to hype everything up. It was the real-est interview I've had so far. I think at first, he was trying to test me, but I spoke with confidence and did not try to sound smarter than I really was. Then he kinda went easy on me.
 
Haybrant said:
congrats constructor! How many wks after your notification is your interview scheduled? I reckon since they arent
interviewing too many the turn around is quick

you got PM'ed.
 
congrats constructor!! thats such great news.

still waiting (complete 10/28, live in baltimore) ... the worst part is that im spending january doing research in boston, so im not home to check the mail (ahh!) so im calling my roomie every day to ask if i got any mail... lol she'd tell me if i did, but i call anyway...

i saw someone else ask awhile ago, but didnt see an answer - has anyone in bmore gotten anything yet? and also, has anyone complete as late as me gotten anything (rejection or interview?)
 
Reply to Sportchick


you can check the status of stanford online. You even need to schedule interview date online also.

A week ago I scheduled my interview and noticed there are several date still open for interview on January for Stanford
 
sportschick - i live in baltimore and was complete on 10/11. No word yet.
I'm starting to think they may be reviewing people by region/state.
It doesn't seem like it's according to date of file completion, since that seems all over the map for people who have been rejected to date. The wait continues . . .
 
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